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Robert Kroetsch
by George J. Dance Robert Kroetsch, OC (June 26, 1927 - June 21, 2011) was a Canadian poet, novelist, and academic. "His novels, poems, and criticism articulated a postmodern, experimental vision of Canadian literature during the 1960's and 1970's."Robert Kroetsch 1927-2011, Poetry Foundation. Web, Apr. 16, 2017. Life Kroetsch was born in Heisler, Alberta, the oldest of 5 children (and only son) of Hilda (Weller) and Paul Kroetsch. His mother died when he was 13. He attended Red Deer High School in Red Deer, Alberta, graduating in 1945.Sandra Martin, "Robert Kroetsch set his books in his native Alberta," Globe & Mail, June 26, 2011. Web, Apr. 16, 2017. In 1945 he enrolled at the University of Alberta. Although he had originally planned to study creative writing, he quickly abandoned the idea. As he later told the story: "Fresh out of high school," on the 1st day of his 1st creative writing class, he listened while returning World War II veterans told their stories; the experience made him feel that he "had been nowhere" and "had done nothing." He "dropped the course and registered in a course called Victorian poetry." Kroetsch earned a B.A. from the University in 1948. After graduating, he spent 6 years living in the Canadian north, working in places like Yellowknife, Northwest Territories; Churchill, Manitoba; and Goose Bay, Labrador. During this period he began writing short stories and submitting them to magazines, publishing 6 stories during that time. In 1954 he spent a year at McGill University, Montreal, where he studied under Hugh Maclennan; followed by a year earning an M.A., in American literature, at Middlebury College. He then moved to the University of Iowa, where he earned a Ph.D. in creative writing in 1961.Lee Skallerup, Robert Kroetsh, English-Canadian Writers, Athabasca Univrsity. Web, Apr. 16, 2017. In 1956 he married Mary Jane Lewis. The couple had 2 daughters, Laura and Margaret. In the 1960's and most of the 1970's he taught at Binghampton University in New York, and began writing and publishing novels: But We Are Exiles in 1965, followed by The Words of My Roaring in 1966, and his breakthrough novel, The Studhorse Man, in 1969. Together with his colleague William Spanos, he founded the literary magazine, Boundary 2: A journal of postmodern literature in 1972, and edited the journal until 1978.Biography, Robert Kroetsch. Web, Apr. 16, 2017. In 1977 he met future poet and critic Smaro Kamboureli, who had just come to Binghampton as a graduate student. By the summer of 1978, he had divorced Lewis, left Binghampton, and moved to Winnipeg, Manitoba, with Kamboureli. Kroetsh took a teaching position at the University of Manitoba, where he taught until his retirement. He married Kamboureli in Greece in 1982. Their marriage ended in 2004. On his retirement, he moved to British Columbia, and later to Leduc, Alberta. During his lifetime he published 14 collections of poetry, 9 novels, and 7 books of non-fiction."Alberta writer Robert Kroetsch dies at 83," CBC News, June 22, 2011. Web, Apr. 16, 2017. On June 21, 2011, aged 83, he was involved in a 2-car collision in Leduc, and died as a result of his injuries. Writing Kroetsch was dubbed “Mr. Canadian Postmodern” by critic Linda Hutcheon. Hutcheon suggested that he was the writer in Canada who most used the techniques and ideas of postmodern literature: experiment, parody, and constant questioning of the underlying values that structure our world.Susanne Mitchell, Robert Kroetsch: Mr. Canadian Postmodern, Mr. Alberta “Seed Catalogue”, Historica Canada blog, June 30, 2011. Web, Apr. 16, 2017. Recognition Kroetsch's 1969 novel, The Studhorse Man, won the 1969 Governor General's Award for Fiction. His 2001 poetry collection, The Hornbooks of Rita K, was nominated for a Governor General's Award for Poetry.Douglas Barbour, Robert Kroetsch, Canadian Encyclopedia, April 3, 2014. Historica Canada. Web, Apr. 16, 2017. In 2004 he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada. In 2011 he received the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta's Distinguished Artist Award. He is also commemorated by the Robert Kroetsch Award for Innovative Poetry, which is given annually to an emerging Canadian poet, and the winning manuscript published by Snare Books. Publications Poetry *''The Stone Hammer Poems, 1960-1975''. Lantzville, BC: Oolichan Books, 1976. ISBN: 0-88982-014-7 *''The Ledger''. London, ON: Applegarth, 1975; Ilderton, ON: Brick / Nairn, 1979; London, ON: Brick Books, 1992. ISBN: 0-919626-11-4 *''The Sad Phoenician''. Coach House, 1979. ISBN: 0-88910-159-0 *''The Criminal Intensities of Love as Paradise''. Lantzville, BC: Oolichan Books, 1981. ISBN: 0-88982-045-7 *''Sketches of a Lemon''. Toronto: League of Canadian Poets, 1981. *''Field Notes: 1-8, a continuing poem: Collected Poetry''. Don Mills, ON: General, 1981. *''Advice to My Friends: A continuing poem''. Toronto: Stoddart, 1985. *''Seed Catalogue''. Winnipeg: Turnstone Press, 1986. ISBN: 0-88801-109-1 *''Excerpts from the Real Worlds: A prose poem in ten parts.'' Lantzville, BC: Oolichan Books, 1986. ISBN: 0-88982-063-5 *''Completed Field Notes: The long poems''. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1989; Edmonton, AB: University of Alberta Press, 2000. *''The Hornbooks of Rita K''. Edmonton, AB: University of Alberta Press, 2001. *''The Snowbird Poems''. Edmonton, AB: University of Alberta Press, 2004. *''The Lost Narrative of Mrs. David Thomson'' (chapbook). Windsor, ON: Wrinkle Press, 2009. *''Too Bad: Sketches toward a self-portrait''. Edmonton, AB: University of Alberta Press, 2010. Novels *''But We Are Exiles''. Toronto: Macmillan, 1965; London: Macmillan, 1966; New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1966. *''The Words of My Roaring''. Toronto: Macmllan, 1966; London: Macmillan, 1966; New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1966. *''The Studhorse Man''. Toronto: Macmillan, 1969; Edmonton, AB: University of Alberta Press, 2004. ISBN: 978-0-88864425=1 *''Gone Indian''. Toronto: New Press, 1973. *''Badlands''. Toronto: New Press, 1975. *''What the Crow Said''. Don Mills, ON: General Publishing, 1978; Edmonton, AB: University of Alberta Prss, 1998. *''Alibi.'' 1983. Toronto: General Publishing, 1984. ISBN: 0-7736-7084-8 *''The Puppeteer: A novel''. Toronto: Random House, 1992. ISBN: 0-394-22037-4 *''The Man from the Creeks''. Toronto: Random House, 1998. Non-fiction *''Alberta''. Toronto: Macmillan, 1968; New York: St. Martin's Press, 1968; Edmonton, AB: NeWest, 1993. *''The Crow Journals''. Edmonton, AB: NeWest, 1980. *''Labyrinths of Voice: Conversations with Robert Kroetsch''. Edmonton, AB: NeWest Press, 1982. ISBN: 0-920316-39-5 *''Letters to Salonika''. Toronto: Grand Union Press, 1983. *''Essays'' (edited by Frank Davey & bpNichol). Toronto: Open Letter, 1983. *''The Lovely Treachery of Words: Essays selected and new''. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1989. ISBN: 0-19-540694-X *''A Likely Story: The writing life''. Red Deer, AB: Red Deer Press, 1995. *''Abundance: The Mackie House conversations about the writing life'' (with John Lent). Vernon, BC : Kalamalka Press, 2007. Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy WorldCat.Search results = au:Robert Kroetsch, WorldCat, OCLC Online Computer Library Center Inc. Web, Apr. 16, 2017. Audio / video *''Robert Kroetsch'' (DVD). Toronto: Council of Ministers of Education, Canada / Vancouver, BC: Advanced Education Media Acquisitions Centre (AEMAC), Langara College, 1984. *''The Impossible Home: Robert Kroetsch and his German roots'' (VHS). Toronto: White Pine Pictures, 1997. Except where noted, discographical information courtesy WorldCat. See also *List of Canadian poets References Notes External links ;Audio / video *Robert Kroetsch at YouTube ;Books *Robert Kroetsch at Amazon.com ;About *Robert Kroetsch 1927-2011 at the Poetry Foundation *Robert Kroetsch in the Canadian Encyclopedia *Robert Kroetsch at English-Canadian Writers *Alberta writer Robert Kroetsch dies at 83, CBC Arts and Enternainment. *Robert Kroetsch, 1927-2011, Qull & Quire. *Robert Kroetsch set his books in his native Alberta" obituary at Globe & Mail *Robert Kroetsch: Biocritical Essay by Aritha van Herk, University of Calgary *Robert Kroetsch Official website *"Robert Kroetsch: Waiting for the Future" by Nicole Markotić Category:1927 births Category:2011 deaths Category:Canadian poets Category:Canadian novelists Category:Officers of the Order of Canada Category:Governor General's Award winning fiction writers Category:Writers from Manitoba Category:Writers from Alberta Category:Road accident deaths in Canada Category:20th-century poets Category:21st-century poets Category:English-language poets Category:Canadian academics Category:Poets Category:Binghamton University faculty Category:University of Alberta faculty Category:University of Manitoba faculty Category:University of Alberta alumni Category:Middlebury College alumni